Shadows of the Light
by Ishnai
Summary: A tale only half spoken. All paths connect somewhere, some are more intertwined than others. Like threads in a web, a single action can effect more than one fate. Riku/OC


I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Shadows of the Light

by

Starcrossed

Prologue

Given Form

"_My arrival here is natural  
Into this world with tears and crying;  
What I have is not much, and poor at that,  
Frail and too quickly I have fallen from on high,  
My death is sharp and severe,  
I do not know where I am going,  
foul and stinking I rot,  
O, Jesus have mercy on me!"_

– English Translation for "Kinderly" by Mediaeval Baebes

An ominous thick fog weaved in and out of the city park and the surrounding apartments. What should have been a bustling metropolis was unnaturally silent, not even the sounds of birds could be heard. Nothing living seemed to nest in the city's ruins—the buildings standing as mute sentinels to the horrors that must have befallen the inhabitants. Not even plant life seemed to grow.

Suddenly the mist swirled and shifted mysteriously, a form materialized that wasn't there before. Draped in a heavy, black cloak, the figure took a soft step forward, the dark leather boots thumping against the cold, gray gravel. A hood covering the head, the shadowed face surveyed the area. The feminine form continued to stride forward as an eerie wind picked up blowing about a stream of dead leaves. The wind grew strong enough for the form to grip the top of her hood, a lacy gloved hand appearing from under the sleeve. As the wind passed over the playground, the swing seats swayed hauntingly like there were invisible children playing on it. They squeaked and whined to the crisp air, crying out for company.

Halting in mid-step, a strangely shaped staff emerged from the nothingness into her other hand. Shifting into a fighting stance, the traveler positioned the wooden staff at an angle so that one side was sticking out from one of her shoulders. It laid across her back and she held it with the opposite hand a little ways away from the other end. Black portals appeared on the ground in front of the cloaked figure and giant shadows appeared out of them.

Swinging her staff in an arc, she preceded to smash through one behind her and in front of her in a single, graceful step. Another shadow jumped at the figure but an invisible force stopped it causing the attacker to wiggle harmlessly in mid-air. She spun to face the floating shadow and it was suddenly slammed into the ground by her weapon using an over-handed blow. In a series of controlled circular moves, she was able to hack through the crowd of heartless quickly and decisively. As the last one shattered into a dark mist, she glanced around to check for strays.

The figure moved out of the fighting stance, but her muscles were still tense under her cloak, ready for anything. Stepping forward, she nevertheless kept her staff positioned along the back of her arm. It was easier to return to a defensive/aggressive posture that way.

There was no more resistance to impede the form as she made her way into the city's streets. Cars were abandoned where their owners had left them. One of the traffic lights continued to eerily blink red even though there were no people to give such instruction to. As if by instinct, the teenager still looked both ways before crossing the road and walked into the shadow of the mid-sized office building. Some of it's side wall had crumbled down, so she had to side-step the rubble and even climb over the bigger chunks.

She pressed her hand against the next building's wall, repositioning one of the torn sides of a poster. The red picture was faded and the dark words weren't understandable. The language was completely different on this world. The cloaked figured sighed, her head leaning downward.

There was a noise—the scratching of cloth and crinkling of pebbles.

Spinning on her heels, she shifted to look down the alley way with her weapon poised to strike. A small form took refuge behind the dumpster, whimpering softly. The female lowered her staff and held out a black lacy gloved hand.

She didn't know the language of this world but there were easier ways to communicate than just words alone. Sensing the child's heart, she lightly connected herself to it. Hearts had no barriers like cultures and had only one true language that overcame those differences. While her words would still be in her speech, what the other would hear would be in his/her own and vise versa.

"Little one," she called out tenderly, her voice echoing off the dark walls, "I will not hurt you."

A small girl with golden rimmed, green eyes peeked out from her hiding place but made no movement to the other woman. She seemed scared of the towering black form. The female sighed and used her hand to push back her black hood.

Long green hair with green-blue and green-yellow highlights flowed out as her hands flicked the tresses out from under the cloak. Some of her hair on the right side was pulled over the top of her head and pinned. Her pale sandy skin created unusual shades of gray in the shadows of the environment, giving her an nearly celestial appearance. Violet eyes stared kindly at the child, once again her hand motioning to come here as she kneeled down to appear less threatening.

The child got up and threw her little body at the cloaked figure, who caught her and gently enveloped the youth in a warm embrace. The staff clattered to the ground beside them. Sobbing and speaking rapidly, the dark skinned girl's words were barely understandable. The teenager rubbed her back tenderly, making soothing circular motions to try and calm the youngster, who's whole tiny body was still shaking wildly. It took a few moments for the small girl to finally relax and stop crying.

Pulling the little form from her body, the young lady with green hair smiled kindly to her with their eyes meeting. Plucking stray pieces of stone mortar from the long, wiry crimson hair gave her the chance to properly look over the child. She was wearing mismatched clothes and her shoes were untied (it didn't even look like she even tried to tie them properly.) Her dark brown skin had a few scratches but overall, other than looking hungry and dehydrated, she was fine.

Standing up, her violet eyes glanced around at her surroundings. She needed to get the little one to a safe location. The form knew that the child was watching her closely as she began plotting their next move. Grabbing the staff, she rested it parallel along the back of one of her arms. She picked up the child and cradled her on her hip with the youngster naturally knowing to wrap her legs and arms around the carrier body.

"My dear," started the female with green hair as she walked to the street corner before stopping, "what is your name?"

Stunning golden-edged green eyes blinked shyly up at her savior as she unconsciously sucked at her thumb. She mumbled something but with the finger in the mouth, the words became indistinguishable. The older girl's lips twitched and she struggled not to laugh.

"I think your thumb already knows your name, child."

The little one giggled softly, her eyes sparkling as she removed her finger from her mouth. They traveled across the deserted street. The fog seemed thinner now so that more abandon buildings could be seen in the distance. By the time the pair reached the other side of the road, the tiny girl's giggles had subsided.

"Neha," she whispered, barely audible. The cloaked form repeated the name a couple of times, each subsequent time getting louder and more confident. She grinned down at the bundle she was carrying, who smiled back.

"What a lovely name, Neha," replied the teenager pleasantly.

Gazing around her surroundings again, the older female searched for a safe haven to protect the child while she finished her original objective. It was too dangerous to take her with her but it wasn't exactly wise to leave her unprotected here either. She didn't know this terrain well but she was in luck with finding this native inhabitant.

"Do you know of a safe shelter nearby?"

The tiny girl nodded enthusiastically, her finger had already returned to her mouth though her next words were still understandable. "Uh huh," she replied as she bounded down from the other's hold, "—'tis where I've been staying since Mama left me there!"

Skipping a little ways away from the older girl, she looked back and grinned, motioning her to follow. Watching the child from behind as she lead the way, the cloaked figure took up a large gait to keep up and started using the staff as a walking stick. The strange, bleached dirt that thinly layered the streets did little to muffle the dull clink of the staff as it hit.

Neha seemed to have forgotten all of her fears and happily chatted when she had gotten tired of hopping ahead. She looked thrilled just to have another person to speak with—whether her companion would answer or not. The youth apparently went wandering after everything went silent, searching for her mother. However, that was evidently days ago. All this, the teenager was able to piece together from the girl's ramblings and the environment around them.

Their journey was broken up by frequent attacks by a combination of gigas and regular shadows. The child led them to a large office building that looked in relatively good condition. Looking up at the tall structure that was bordering on being a skyscraper, the green haired lady sighed. She had an peculiar feeling in the pit of her stomach that where Neha was taking them would be near or on the top floor. This intuitive sense wasn't wrong.

Climbing up the concrete steps and pulling the elegant glass doors open, the pair entered the lobby. The opulent room was filled with stunning furniture, dying plants and a beautiful mahogany receptionist's desk. The lights were on, though one was flickering eerily at the far end. A soft humming sound indicated that the heat was on, since the temperature was warmer now. Both of these devices attested that the electricity was still on by either an emergency power generator or the city hadn't cut the lines.

Neha giggled and ran over to the elevator, pressing the button to call it down. The door beeped and opened immediately at her actions. Violet eyes glancing around, the teenager didn't trust taking the metal cage when they weren't certain the power wouldn't cut out half-way up. The darker skinned girl pouted and crossed her arms as her savior made a motion in the direction of the staircase. A single emerald eyebrow raised in response and she repeated her action.

"But Da's room is near the top!" whined Neha, "there must be a _gazillion _steps to get there!"

"Gazillion?" echoed the lady, laughing softly as she walked toward the staircase door with her staff reverberating harshly on the marble floor on every stride. She shook her head, amusement twinkling in her violet eyes. The girl's pout faded from her young face and she grinned sheepishly.

"Ya hu, _gazillion!_"

"I hardly think they could fit _that_ many steps into this building," the traveler replied. Neha rejoined her, the youth easily ducking under the other's arms as she pushed the thick wooden door open. Surveying the winding staircase, the cloaked figure briefly considered the possibility that there was that many steps. Her ward stared up with her mouth slightly open. The disbelief of them actually climbing all the way up was apparent on her face. Softly smiling, the lady moved closer to the first stair step and griped the metal railing with her right hand before turning to look at the crimson haired girl.

The teenager wasn't going to force the child to do anything she didn't want to do. She could easily secure the lobby for the time being but it still wasn't the safest location. Higher off the ground gave protection from the shadows, which were evidently more abundant in this world.

"Every journey, each adventure," her savior revealed as she put a foot down on the stairs, "begins with a single step. Will you travel with me?" She returned her unusual staff to its place in a different plane. Holding out her left hand to the girl, she waited for her to grasp it. "Adventures are always better with company."

Neha, after a few moments, accepted the offered hand meekly. They trekked upwards, the sound of their footsteps resonated around the small area. After a couple of flights, the teenager noticed her companion getting tired and preceded to carry her on her back. By the time they reached the floor that the office was on, she was convinced that she needed to exercise more. With the child pointing the way, the pair traveled down the corridor and into the office.

Reasonably sized, the office was moderately decorated. A metal work desk was ladened with a computer and many piles of papers. The office chair was black and high back. File cabinets lined the side wall. A large cork bulletin board on the back was littered with not just work articles but family photographs and crayon artwork. There was a make-sift bed of blankets and pillows on the far wall, along with a large backpack that once held food but now was filled with trash.

Neha clambered down from her carrier and bounced over to the blankets, laying down with a large sigh. Whispering the enchantment words softly, the emerald haired lady started setting up tiny magical items around the room that she removed from her left pocket. This created a defensive barrier against all of the heartless species they had encountered. When she had placed all of them, the objects generated a glowing blue light.

"I need you to stay here inside this room," said the older female, turning to look at her ward. "I will return for you." The child once more threw herself at her protector. She began to cry again.

"Momma said the same thing!" she wailed.

Softly massaging the back of Neha with one hand, the cloaked female reached into her right pocket. Pulling out a small purple star-shaped charm on a long silver chain, she held it out before the girl's face. Green eyes rimmed with gold watched, mesmerized by the object. The older girl smiled at the response and pressed the charm into her companion's tiny hands.

"This was given to me," she explained as the dark skinned girl stared at her with surprise, "I do expect to come back and get it."

Nodding, Neha hugged the item close to her heart as they parted. Her nervous eyes watched her protector leave the office. The older female retraced her path back to the stairs. Glancing down, she swung over the guard rails and jumped, quickly dropping her way to the bottom floor. Leaving the building, she took note of its location and the surrounding structures so she could return there. When the figure felt like she had throughly memorized the area, she continued on with her original mission.

Combat with the heartless began to occur constantly, with the aggressors becoming more numerous, she kept her staff with her at all times. The female could sense the darkness twisting throughout the metropolis, strengthening rapidly. Nervously, she picked up her pace—she still hadn't been able to locate her target. Strolling through a particularly thick patch of fog, the green haired teenager could hardly see her hand when she glanced down. Calmly, she pressed on until she had emerged from it. At first, the figure had thought she had wandered into another park with how suddenly the buildings dropped off.

And felt her breathe leave her body.

No, she had arrived at the edge of a crater that shouldn't be there.

After the initial shock had warn off, she arranged her staff across her back. This made it easier as she ran down into the depression. A determined expression covered her pale face. Her emerald hair fluttering behind her form as she clambered over the stone ruins. She had found her target.

A middle-aged man was working on a strange machine in the center of the pit. He wore a brown bandanna over his greasy, messy black hair. Torn jeans covered his legs while a green camouflage, long-sleeved over-shirt and black tank top covered his chest. His dark brown boots were military style. A large machete was tied across his back. Muttering to himself, he scratched his dirty chin as he studied his product.

"Why," began the man in a strange drawl as the cloaked figure entered hearing range. He turned to surveyed her with sinister orange eyes. "if it isn't a gray warden. You are far too late."

"Pankajit," uttered the teenager, "your actions cannot go without retribution. I come for your judgment."

The man laughed at her statement, his deep baritone voice echoing eerily in the crater. He clutched his stomach. Shadow heartless appeared around him like bodyguards, they made no attempt to attack him. Their black antennae twitching unnaturally.

"Foolish, warden," replied Pankajit when his laughter died down. "I have done nothing that isn't found in nature itself. The weak must die so that the strongest may live."

"All the power in existence cannot bring your daughter and wife back," divulged the gray warden as she took a step forward.

His surprise at her answer quickly faded into rage. He set his jaw and his eyes narrowed. Pointing his finger at her angrily, he accused the female of not understanding. She raised an emerald eyebrow in response.

"Your feelings or reasons are irrelevant. The fact is, you knowingly caused this massacre," she asserted, taking another step forward. Observing him closely, she devised her attack strategy on the amount of darkness existing in his heart. "Facts do not stop existing because they are ignored. You may be able to disregard the innocents' screams for justice but I am here insure that they are answered."

Pankajit pulled out his machete and growled menacingly at her. More heartless appeared around the pair, squirming with anticipation. Both of them moved into aggressive stance with the man shifting back and forth on his feet. He started to say something but the gray warden interrupted him.

"And I'm _definitely_ not here for a monologue," persisted the female as she summoned fire into her hand. One of the heartless beside him flung itself at her, the long claws striking out dangerously. It was met by fire and exploded. The rest of the shadows preceded to attack, as if they were trying to get revenge for their falling comrade.

"Pankajit Adev, for consciously and deliberately sacrificing the innocent civilians of this metropolis to gain

the power of darkness, this gray warden sentences you to death."

-----

Metallic pipes of assorted sizes threaded the tall, gray walls, providing power to the mechanisms and other necessities in the unusual shaped room. From the entryway, the room began small before opening up into a larger area. Air vents were spaced sporadically around the room. There was a niche on the far wall where a data encrypting device hung over a raised platform that was layered slightly to create little stairs. The floor was made of uneven blue-gray stones with thick pale mortar.

The computer screens located in the far corner bathed the small metal room in a soft blue light. They were stacked one on top of the other, each a very odd geometric shape. Data blinked across the different screens before being filed away for later access by the user. A large, complex keyboard was divided into multiple rows on either side of an uncomfortable looking chair. The computer machine continually hummed and would beep at varying intervals.

DiZ typed diligently at the keyboard in front of him, his single uncovered eye darting across all the screens. Sitting down, his form was dwarfed by the cloaked figure that stood beside him. An airy tinkling sound and soft footsteps echoed faintly from the area beyond caused the dark figure to turn and walk over to the entrance. The door slid open to reveal the emerald haired teenager, with the little girl asleep in her arms. Barely stealing a glance at the new comer, DiZ continued to work at the computer.

Balancing a small bag slung across her back, she stumbled slightly before walking into the unusual room. She was surprised at the man that greeted her at the door, noticing how much taller he was. Studying his form, the gray warden knew who it was, just didn't want to believe it.

"Were you able to get him?" the girl asked softly.

The cloaked male nodded and she sighed, shaking her head. Long tresses of emerald green waved around her body with her gentle violet eyes locked onto his face. Taking a breath in, he started to say something but was interrupted.

"Another pet for your collection?" questioned the older man harshly from over at the computer.

Blinking, the female stared at DiZ, confused, until she realized he was talking about the child she held in her arms. She glanced lovingly down at the girl, who was sucking her thumb again. Deciding to ignore his comment, she walked over to the bandaged man and, with some maneuvering, she deposited the bag at his feet.

"The materials you requested," she stated coldly before turning to leave.

"Cassiel," whispered the cloaked figure, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her. His face was shadowed by the hood, but she didn't need to see his face to know what his expression. She realized who it was, no matter his appearance. However, her mind couldn't help but see someone else entirely, someone that wasn't even the person that resided in the body now.

"It's fine," Cassiel replied soothingly, though both distinguished it wasn't fine. "I need to get her settled." She jerked her head in the direction of the sleeping child. He nodded, his hand dropping to his side. Strolling through the entryway, she turned and grinned brightly at the male. "Thanks, teacher." The gray warden teased just as the door hissed shut.

------

Okay. So thats the prologue. Woot. Oh and the chapter name comes from the beginning of KH.

_Power sleeps within you._

_If you __give it form_.


End file.
